LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Restaurants in Los Angeles will now be able to obtain a permit to sell alcohol faster under a new program the city created to help restaurants rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. The city council on Feb. 9 approved the program, which has been in the works since 2020, lessening the cost and time it takes for employers to serve alcohol in their restaurants. “We all know that the restaurant industry has hit on very hard times, particularly post-pandemic,” Councilman Paul Krekorian said during the meeting. “So, we’ve been working on a way to try to shorten the time that restaurants need to get open and to get open and provide a full range of services to their customers.” The initiative, called the Restaurant Beverage Program, received support from California Restaurant Association’s LA chapter and local business owners who complained the process of obtaining an alcohol license issued by …